Vice President's Secretariat
Text of the Vice-President’s Address at the Student Interaction Meet, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur 
Good morning to all of you!
Let me tell you that I am a product of education. If I had not gotten a scholarship from Sainik School, Chittorgarh when I was studying in a village, travelling five kms per side every day and 10 km both ways for education…. the scholarship which I received, changed my life. It made quality education available to me. मैं बहुत obedient student था, गुरुजन मुझे बहुत प्यार करते थे I इसकी कीमत भी मुझे देनी पड़ी I You are lucky to have Indian product Amul, but during those days we used to have Polson butter. So whenever I was talked to a teacher, पीछे से आवाज आती थी Polson, Polson, Polson. They used to take me as favourite of all teachers. I was throughout a gold medallist. मुझे बड़ा डर लगता था अगर टॉपर नहीं होऊंगा तो क्या होगा? बहुत डर लगता था और इस डर के मारे बहुत बड़ी कीमत दी है I बहुत बाद में पता चला nothing would have happened. It is not necessary to be a topper. Never have tension, never have stress, never fear to try, give up fear of the fear- it doesn't help.
You will see in the world, all those who set up industries, create infrastructure, world class buildings, are not the real creators. Real creators are sitting here. They give the idea, they evolve the concept. Nothing is easier than execution and nothing is more difficult than planning and that is what you all have done all throughout
I am happy to learn that adoption of the National Education Policy is taking place here. This policy was evolved after three decades, after taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders. I was the Governor of the State of West Bengal. Views were taken by me from academicians and of those who are interested in Academics and those interested in education as an industry.
Students, thinkers gave us this policy, now you have the facility along with your major as indicated by the Director, now you can go for a minor subject also. You will learn in your life that minor becomes major. It is a great advantage that you are getting.
My young friends, I have come here to share my thoughts. I have done it at IIT Madras where I had a long meaningful session. I interacted with students, faculty, visited their workshop, and looked at their achievements. I have been at the IIM Bangalore. Your Institute is also one of excellence, seeing the sparkle in your eyes, I can make out that the future for you is bright. It couldn't be brighter and that there couldn't be more significance than on this day.
The presence of the Indian Prime Minister in the United States is very impactful and now we are at par with global leadership. You are lucky to be living at a time when India, our Bharat, is on the rise as never before and this rise is unstoppable. The incremental trajectory cannot be impeded but it will get a real speed by your contributions.
Let me give you some statistics. I will not burden you with figures. In 2022, digital transfer is the new norm in the world. Volume of a digital transfer in 2022 was 1.3 trillion US dollars but that is not important. What is more important is that our digital transfer is more than the digital transfer of US, UK, France and Germany taken together and multiplied by four.
Imagine where India has come and all by our 1.3 billion people. The world would think how they would adapt to Technology. However, it has taken place in this country. Four times of these four big giants, I am sure it is an achievement. We can take pride in it.
Look at the second achievement. A decade ago, we were at number 10 in the world economy. We are home to 1/6th of humanity and we are the most vibrant functional democracy but our economy was at number 10. In September 2022, we became the world's 5th largest Global Economy. It was not an easy passage and in the process we took over our former colonial rulers, the UK.
पर कुछ लोगों को भारत की महान उपलब्धियों को डाइजेस्ट करने में दर्द होता है I उनको सोचने की आवश्यकता है, यह वह भारत नहीं है जो पहले था, अब यह वह भारत है जो सदियों पहले था जिसका 5000 साल का इतिहास है I Which country can claim and take pride in having a civilizational depth of 5000 years like we have? This is our accomplishment and by the turn of the decade, India will be the third largest Global Economy and when India celebrates this, we may not be around but you all will be in key positions in 2047.
You all will be in the drivers’ seat, you all will be upsurging the growth of this country. When Bharat will be in 2047, celebrating the centenary of its independence, we will be number one. The world knows it, the world understands it. These are not the times when India has to give out its opinion to the world. Times have changed. The world is looking at India and what India’s Prime Ministers say and India's Prime Minister says what is in the interest of India. We in this country stand for global peace, harmony, stability and development. We are a unique country; you cannot find any other country like us. We are working on knowledge and human resources.
When I entered the premises and saw on the left wall, the Vision and Mission, it was seen as synergetic and a blend of knowledge.
The evolution of sharpening, blossoming of human resources is what is taking place, I can tell you are not aware but your institute has a very high reputation. It has been rated much higher than you think and its ranking has picked up and I am sure it will go much higher.
Let me take another figure. We Indians have a strong DNA. हम एकलव्य हैं, कोई सिखाए या ना सिखाए, गांव का आदमी स्मार्ट फोन से सब सीख जाता है।कोई ट्रेनिंग की आवश्यकता नहीं है। और यही तो कारण है that India has 700 million internet users.
लोग कहते हैं इतनी ज्यादा जनसंख्या है, इसमें क्या महारत हैI मैं बताता हूं महारत क्या है I 2022 में हमारा per person data consumption US और China दोनों को मिला लो तो उससे ज्यादा था I यह अचीवमेंट क्यों है, क्योंकि जो भारत का दिमाग है, जो कैपेसिटी है to work in a dedicated manner…We have capacity to work 247. बाहर आपको ऐसा Work Culture नहीं मिलेगा. That is why all over the globe, you will find presence of Indian minds at the peak. It is satisfying and congratulatory to note कि इसमें महिलाओं ने ज्यादा बाज़ी मार रखी है. मेरी यहां भी आपका presence balanced है I
मेरा आपसे यह कहना है कि जब हम इतने महान देश में रह रहे हैं, जिसकी इतनी बड़ी civilization है, हमारी growth trajectory unstoppable है, forever rising है, आज हम खुली आँख से वह चीज़े देख रहे हैं, जिसका हम सपना नहीं ले सकते थे I
In 1989, I was elected to the Parliament as a Lok Sabha Member. I had the power to give 50 Gas connections in a year to anyone I liked. लोग कहते थे M.P की बड़ी power है. आज प्रधानमंत्री जी ने 17 करोड़ लोगों को गैस-कनेक्शन फ्री दे दिए जिन्हें इसकी आवश्यकता हैI यह क्रांति है कि नहीं है? कितना बड़ा सोच है एक आदमी का. We are lucky to have leadership at the moment, where there is vision, swift execution and there is outcome.
I am Chairman, Rajya Sabha by virtue of being the Vice President, आपको लगता है कि नए संसद भवन के रूप में सिर्फ एक बहुत बड़ी building आई है? 30-महीने से कम समय में और Covid के बावजूद, वह सिर्फ एक building नहीं है, it is fully furnished from inside. सामान्य रूप में, केवल furnishing में 10 साल लगते हैं. कितना synchronisation और thought process इसमें गया होगा. नए संसद भवन में संपूर्ण भारत और भारतीयता की झलक दिखती है. Imagine- it has come up in less than two and a half years!
जयपुर से दिल्ली जाना भी अब आसान हो गया और आपको अलग-अलग विकल्प भी मिलते हैंI India’s development is like a plateau, it is rising on all parameters. You will be surprised to know that, आज के दिन जो दिल्ली से आता है उसमें आप 1% की भी कैंची नहीं मार सकते, it comes directly without any medium, middlemen or liaison agent. I will give an illustration of the most difficult transfer, which is to the farmer in a village. 11 crore farmers have received 2.25 lakh crore rupees directly in their bank account.
भारत बदल चुका है और बदलते भारत में कुछ लोगों को चुनौतियां आ गई है, बेतुकी बातें करते हैं, कहते हैं कि भारत जीवंत लोकतंत्र नहीं है. मुझे इससे पीड़ा होती है. I appeal to all of you to analyze and react accordingly as India is the only country in the world that has constitutional democracy at the village level, panchayat level, zila parishad level, state legislatures and of course the Parliament. ऐसी परिस्थिति में यदि लोग बाहर जाकर यह कहे कि भारत में जीवंत लोकतंत्र नहीं है, भारत के राष्ट्रवाद के साथ बदसलूकी है, बदसलूकी आपके भविष्य के साथ हैI वह बदसलूकी हमारे भविष्य के विकास के ऊपर अंकुश लगाने का कु-प्रयास हैI We cannot allow these pernicious narratives by sinister minds to set afloat to decry, demean our institutions and growth.
Youth has a great role to play in it, as you are thinking and diversified minds. If I tell you something, you will factually analyze whether the Vice President has said something factually correct. Everyone in this room and outside will analyze, if such thinking minds don't impede or neutralize these forces, we will not be doing our duty.
Friends, we must always believe in our nation, it is not optional. Why should we not be proud as Indians? Why should we not take pride in our achievement? I had the occasion to be in London, during the coronation of Prince Charles III, I interacted with the students there, they were upbeat about India. I keep on saying, Indian students who go outside are very talented, but they couldn't beat you in talent and therefore could not be accommodated here, thus they got a passage there.
Mark my words, the best talent is here in our institutes, you will have to change not yourself but the world. When you go outside, you have a different ecosystem, by a series of affirmative steps you can realize your dreams.
When I was a lawyer in 1979, wanting to have a library, I required 6000 rupees. The bank manager who lent me the money without surety, I remember his face even today. Now, you only need to have an idea and sky's the limit, you can attain anything.
Our startups and unicorns are by young people. As a matter of fact, let me tell you young boys and girls, you are giving tough time to established industrialists, अब वह लोग सचेत हो गए हैं कि आज का पढा हुआ युवा क्या करिश्मा दिखा सकता है और धन अर्जन करने में भी हमसे आगे जा सकते हैं और ऐसा देखने को मिल रहा है I
Not only do I feel motivated, energized and inspired by interacting with students but, I also meet those who get into Civil Services. I am now saying something very significant, I said so on Civil Services Day: when you get into Civil Services and decide to serve the country, you are not paid much. People can get much higher outside. लेकिन जो संतुष्टि और चेहरे पर चमक अपने देश की सेवा करने में आती है, वह आपको कहीं नहीं आएगीI
Make a difference in the environment around, for which I have a few suggestions for you:
● Give up stress and tension altogether, nothing will happen because of it, simply ignore.
● Don't allow your mind to be a parking place for ideas, as soon as you get one, execute it.
● Don’t be afraid of failures, it is not stigmatic, no-one landed on the moon in the first attempt, it takes effort thereafter, but if you don’t act on an idea that has occurred in your brilliant mindspace, you are doing great injustice to Humanity.
● Don’t be involved in Competition, compete with yourself and not with others, do what you feel like.
● Don’t be doctored and compartmentalised by others. Don’t allow others to judge you, I am totally opposed to the idea of India being judged by bodies outside, they calibrate us. They question our food security. They don’t seem to know that from April 01, 2020, 80 crore people have been getting free food in India. How can there be no food security in such a country?
गांव के अंदर आज वातावरण बदल गया है, रेल की टिकट, हवाई जहाज की टिकट, गैस बुकिंग, पासपोर्ट के लिए अब किसी को कहना नहीं पड़ता, यह सब हो गया है, तभी तो per capita data consumption अमेरिका और चीन से ज्यादा है.
अब अच्छी बात यह है जो हमारे समय नहीं थी कि our growth was caesarean; धरती फाड़ कर ऊपर आना पड़ता था, lineage and succession चलता था. कुछ लोगों के बच्चे Harvard और Oxford में admission लेते थे; अब हालात बदल गए हैं, सभी के लिए level-playing field है. You are lucky to be in India at this moment where there is an ecosystem that allows fullest exploitation of your talent and potential. Grab the opportunity, I have no doubt that you will go ahead.
एक नई समस्या है, आज के समय क्या कोई कानून से ऊपर है? नहीं है ना. We can't claim to be a society governed by law if someone is above the law or has immunity from law. कुछ लोगों का भ्रम अब टूट रहा है, और चकनाचूर हो रहा है लेकिन फिर भी कुछ बाकी है, कि हमें कानून का नोटिस क्यों मिल गया? और लोग सड़कों पर आ जाते हैं. Young minds should question; why should you not take recourse to law when you have got a notice? Go to the system but the people take to the streets. Why? Today no one is above law. I am not a stakeholder with politics but I am concerned with the rule of law and societal growth.
अगर पब्लिक प्रॉपर्टी को कोई हानि पहुंचाता है, या जला देता है और वीडियो ऑडियो पर वह दिखता है, लेकिन उस पर कोई एक्शन नहीं होता, क्यों? Young minds have to question this, and dominate social media with positive and growth oriented ideas.
I am happy to know that you have done several MoUs. The Indian Council of World Affairs is a very important body that connects the human resource of India to the world, I am the Chairman of that body by virtue of being the Vice-President. I declare that the Indian Council of World Affairs will have an MoU with your Institute in the next 30 days and a very senior IFS officer, Madam Thakur would come to the institute to interact with the Director and Students and will tell you the avenues that can be there. I will appeal to the Honorable Director that when we enter into the new Parliament building, a delegation from this institute will be entertained by me to see the new Parliament.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister in his speech today said “The entire world is enthused with Artificial Intelligence” and said “America-India: the two equals” and he meant it. Growth of this country is at a defining moment in history. This is not re-discovering of Bharat, we have re-discovered it: this is the attaining of Bharat, and we shall attain it.
My team will work here and take all of your questions, which will be responded to by me through video. The questions are very well thought out to cover a huge area and certain concerns. They talk of several things that have happened in the country. I will clear all your doubts and if certain things are to be implemented, I will contribute my bit for that.
I wish all of you all the very best and great success in your life.